The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

“I’ve learned that I have to be able to stay positive, because that’s what got me through the cancer treatments … I said, ‘This is what I have to do. I’m going to do it. That’s how it’s going to be.’ When new challenges arise, it gets hard sometimes, but you have to stay positive and keep pushing through it … You can’t worry about the future always, because then you will miss out on the present,” Keshav Bhanot (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Tackling challenges with grit

by Muthu Panchanatham, Co-Sports Editor May 27, 2021

Arm outstretched to halt an imaginary defender in his tracks and eyes hidden by the shadows cast by his face mask, Keshav Bhanot (12) gazes into the camera intensely and reflects on one of his first games...

“I’ve always thought of myself as a leader. But [my experiences in high school] and the sense of responsibility have transformed me from someone who just had big ideas to someone who could actually see those ideas be implemented,” Lisa Barooah (12) said.

Humans of Harker: A vibrant presence

by Sarah Mohammed, Winged Post Asst. Features Editor May 27, 2021

Describing her favorite quirk of close friend Lisa Barooah (12), senior Hannah Sobczyn instantly cites her spontaneity and individuality, as she recalls Lisa’s ability to spice up any conversation. “She...

“Theres a lot of poverty in Mexico, especially the part where we went, and it really made me see that there is so much handed to me. I felt bad about having this much when [other people] couldnt, and I felt a really strong moral conflict within me when I was comprehending all this. I was still trying to figure out who I was, and … that experience really shaped my perspective on the world in a lot of ways,” Chance Hewitt (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Kicks and skates

by Claire Bauschlicher and Erica Cai May 26, 2021

Chance Hewitt (12) recalls the first birthday present he ever received as a child: a soccer ball. Although he was too young to play at the time, one of his earliest memories with soccer was standing on...

“I want to be remembered as someone that people can talk to. I want people to know who I am and know that they could talk to me. Im not a random person. If they know me, I know them. I want to be remembered for someone who had a welcoming attitude,” Meona Khetrapal (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Bollywood, benevolence, and bon voyage

by Sally Zhu, Humans of Harker Profiler May 26, 2021

At the Harker school, most students can be found occupied in some extracurricular or academic activity on the weekends from February to May. For Meona Khetrapal (12), it’s competing and training for...

“Most dancers say that the stage is when and where they know that everything theyve been doing is worth it. If you think about it in minutes then it doesnt seem worth it, but I feel like the stage experience in general—rehearsing there, creating a story, and everything about that—thats a very unquantifiable thing. Thats why I continue. Thats why all those artists continue. I think its because the feeling of art is, in an economic sense, greater than everything else—its almost infinite,” Michelle Si (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The art of aplomb

by Arya Maheshwari, Winged Post Co-Editor-in-Chief May 26, 2021

Michelle Si (12) used to belong to the world of ballet — and there was a time where that world seemed limitless. After joining a ballet studio at the age of 5, she soon found herself taking center...

“That exchange of information is to me the purest form of human connection, and that communication makes humans, humans. When Im on stage giving a performance to an auditorium of people, or when Im in a classroom in front of a group of kids teaching them something, that exchange of information is multiplied. Every single person in that audience and I are exchanging energy, feeding off of each other,” Alex Kumar (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Breaking the fourth wall

by Esha Gohil, Humans of Harker Co-Managing Editor May 26, 2021

Clad in a crisp officer’s suit, Alex Kumar (12) reaches out into the audience as he confidently belts out a note that resounds throughout the Patil Theater during the 2019 spring musical “Urinetown.”...

“Im a person who’s comfortable being by myself. But when I think of Jo, she was this headstrong, brilliant, determined, opinionated woman, and when I was younger, Jo was who I wanted to be when I grew up,” Varsha Rammohan (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Making her own way

by Alysa Suleiman, A&E Editor May 25, 2021

“I intend to make my own way in this world.” The independent and unapologetically defiant words uttered by tomboy Josephine “Jo” March, protagonist of Louisa May Alcott’s heartfelt, coming-of-age...

“We have so many opportunities to grow and experience new things so that we can be the next leaders of the world. As humans, we have a responsibility to act as caretakers and the voice of the wildlife we share this planet with, so improving animal welfare has always been my calling, to give a voice to the animals who cannot speak for themselves,” Alex Baeckler (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Call to action

by Esha Gohil, Humans of Harker Co-Managing Editor May 25, 2021

Standing under a colorful Happy Hollow Zoo sign and clad in a bright orange park employee T-shirt, Alexandra “Alex” Baeckler (12) grins, the familiarity of the location a comfort to her. Alex has been...

“Elon Musk said, If you need inspiring words, dont do it. I dont like doing things that I dont want to do because youre not going to have the drive to actually complete it to the very end. I feel like a lot of people dont have enough passion or interest in things; theyre doing it because other people are doing it or because youre told to. If you want to do it personally, then youre going to do it a lot better than if youre told to,” Jason Kwok (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Drive forward

by Mark Hu, Winged Post STEM Editor May 25, 2021

Eyes focused on the interior of his red Subaru and hands perched on the sides of the shiny hood, Jason Kwok (12) peers into the interior of his modded car, inspecting the individual parts and checking...

“If you focus, concentrate and control your emotions, it could be helpful in any discipline, whether it be school or baseball, or even volunteering for that matter. As long as you focus, put your mind to it and have that drive for it, things will happen better than how they would have been if you just sat there,” Andrew Chavez (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Pitching with intent

by Anika Mantripragada, Alena Suleiman, and Sally Zhu May 18, 2021

With the ball in one hand and a large brown baseball mitt in the other, Andrew Chavez (12) stands at the pitcher’s mound, his eyes on his target. Hands clenched together, he brings one knee up and stretches...

“I always talk about how I feel like Ive had so many full circle moments, where I was once the student and now Im the teacher. It feels that much more special when I remember that I used to be the one running around the playground or forgetting my Hebrew alphabet. It’s a reminder that its scary that were growing up, and I dont feel like Im too old for anything, but it’s still a significant growth,” Zoe Sanders (12) said.

Humans of Harker: The true meaning of home

by Varsha Rammohan, Co-Editor-in-Chief May 18, 2021

In the small community of Weston on the southern coast of Florida, Zoe Sanders (12) grew up surrounded by a cozy congregation of cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and extended family. Her cousins...

“[In debate] you have to debate things from both sides, and it’s really forced me to look at things from both perspectives, think about things from different angles … I want to be remembered for providing a unique perspective on things, giving some thoughts that make people things or adding some perspective on things that make people think about something in a different way,” Andy Lee (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Masterful analyzation

by Claire Luo and Katelyn Zhao May 18, 2021

Andy Lee (12) recalls his proudest moment in his high school debate career. He and his debate teammate had been losing to the same strategy repeatedly throughout the year, an easily discouraging situation....

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